Enforce CPA/IC and The Hague peaceful settlement in Abyei – Sudanese rights group

THE SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION –CAIRO

Non-constitutional acts violate human rights and fundamental freedoms

Abrogate non-constitutional laws
Enforce CPA/IC and The Hague peaceful settlement in Abyei
Stop the intelligence trial of Garray

The Sudan Government never ceased offensive practices against people in gross violation of the Interim Constitution (IC) and the rule of law since inauguration of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 up to the present time. Most particularly, the government’s national intelligence and security department continued to harass women, in general, in addition to a great number of women and men activists, including workers and farmers; writers and journalists; lawyers and doctors; and the college students that voiced grievances of society or criticized publicly unlawful practices by the government authorities.

Following the shameless rigging of national elections by state managers in April 2010, these and other policies of intimidation and repression continued unabated by arbitrary detentions and tortures, as well as flagrant abuses of the law to intimidate women by flogging and other dehumanizing penalties, and to silence increased popular opposition all over the country to the ruling group. Most recently, however, the government escalated repression by launching large-scale armed offensive in Abyei that has widely devastated the innocent residents of Abyei to fail the possibilities of a peaceful settlement of the dispute by the CPA/IC and The Hague mediation.

Clearly, the authorities’ determination to pursue human rights violations has been serving the ruling group’s intention to engage the South Sudan Government in risks of war, as well as enforcing laws of repression to suppress the democratic opposition in the North. To restore peace to the area, we advise the government to withdraw all non members of the CPA legally-specified Joint-Forces in order to pursue immediate peaceful negotiations in accordance with the CPA provisions, in addition to Articles 145-147 of the Interim Constitution concerning the country’s Joint Forces and the permanent cease fire obligations. We equally ask the two partners to engage the democratic opposition of the country in negotiation and decision-making to safeguard upcoming agreements.

SHRO-Cairo has consistently urged the government to put a final end on all these violations; abrogate the penal law’s tortures and dehumanizing punishments together with the other laws that antagonized the letter and/or spirit of the CPA/IC; ensure the rule of law by constitutional provisions, lawful procedures, and independent judiciary; and respect the will of the People of Sudan to live in peace by autonomous governance all over the country in compliance with the CPA/IC. Time is now for both government and opposition forces to come to terms through a national constitutional conference to heal the persistent ailments of Sudan’s governance; to resolve the crisis in Darfur and the government’s most recently unlawfully developed war situation in Abyei; and to prohibit harassment of the Sudanese citizen by the intelligence and security forces and their collaborative bodies.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization- Cairo asks the authorities to ensure the freedom of thought and expression for all citizens, irrespective of any distinction by political stands, religious preferences, or ideological commitments. The Government of Sudan must immediately:

• Abrogate the non-constitutionality of the public order; national intelligence and security system; criminal and penal law; and all legislation that contradicted the CPA/IC;

• Withdraw the non-participant members of the Abyei Joint Forces, as legally specified by the CPA/IC, to be able to reconsider seriously the Hague peaceful settlement of the dispute;

• Suspend all intelligence and security charges against the Press;

• Release all detained journalists, lawyers, or activists in opposition to the government’s aggression in Darfur and the other regions of Sudan;

• Stop the National Intelligence and Security Department’s shameless plan in collaboration with regime’s supporters to prevent writer Omer Abd-Allah el-Garray from journalist work by criminal trial on the 29th of May.